Seafood Cooking Tips

Keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial cross-contamination.

After handling raw seafood thoroughly wash all knives, cutting surfaces, sponges and your own hands with hot, soapy water. Clean anything thoroughly that has come into contact with the raw seafood to prevent contamination.

Always marinate seafood in the refrigerator. Never marinade it on the counter or in a warm place.


Discard any marinade that was used to prepare your seafood dish. It contains raw juices which may harbor bacteria.


To save calories, try using veggie broth instead of butter in recipes that call for frying. This will save you calories and provide an extra tasty treat. Or, just try cutting down on the amount of butter called for in seafood recipes. That also will save you calories.

Another healthy tip would be to use plain yogurt in sauces calling for sour cream. The consistency will be thinner, but it will be tastier.

Use pureed tofu in recipes calling for heavy creams. The tofu will provide you with extra nutrients and lower fat content.

There are tons of great tips online for beginning cooks and seasoned chefs alike. For more seafood cooking tips, visit Red Lobster online. You will find some in the Chef's Blog, Interactive Kitchen, and throughout this fantastic seafood restaurant's website.

Country Fried Flounder

Sometimes you crave some good old-fashioned fried fish. You can easily do this while cooking fresh seafood. For those so inclined, fried flounder (or fried fish in general) can be a comforting food. It is very popular in the southern U.S. States. Plus, it is not difficult to make in your own kitchen. This fried flounder recipe is a favorite at Red Lobster. Try it, you may fall in love with it – like thousands of other diners have.

The richness of buttermilk batter coating your flounder makes every bite incredibly moist and extremely satisfying. For an even moister, authentic taste - marinate the fish in buttermilk for one hour prior to frying.

Country Fried Flounder.... serves 6

2 pounds flounder fillets, fresh

1 cup cornmeal

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

Skin fillets and cut them into serving size portions.

Combine cornmeal with seasonings. Roll fish in cornmeal mixture.

Pan Fry:

Place flounder in an iron skillet that has been preheated with about 1/8 inch of oil.

Brown on one side 2 - 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over and cook on the other side an additional 3 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with tartar sauce, coleslaw, and fried red potatoes (or french fries!).

Country Fried Flounder goes well with a Chenin Blanc or light lager beer.

Steamed Mussels with Red Peppers

Once you learn how to store your mussels, you will need a recipe to enjoy them in. This one will give your both taste and a heart healthy, low fat treat. It contains only one gram of saturated fat and 8 grams total fat. How good is that? Enjoy....

2 T olive 1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ c red peppers, chopped

½ t dried oregano

½ t dried thyme

1/3 c white wine

3-1/2 pounds prepared mussels

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

¼ c fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste



Prepare mussels by scrubbing thoroughly and removing the “beard” - if any. The “beard” can be removed by cutting it off with scissors. Discard it.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent (clear).

This will take about 6-8 minutes.

Stir in the red peppers, thyme, and oregano.

Cook for one minute.

Add white wine.

Add mussels, cover, raise heat to high.

Cook until mussels open – about 3-5 minutes.

Throw away any mussels that do not open.

Remove the cooked mussels and place into serving bowls.

Stir parsley, basil, capers, and salt/pepper into the broth.

Pour over mussels.

Grilled Seafood

By combining the enjoyment of eating seafood with preparing it a healthy way, you will get the most benefits for healthy living. Enjoy the pleasures of grilled seafood. It is easier than you think.

Red Lobster has a fresh fish cookbook that you can check out online. It contains delicious recipes, as well as seafood cooking tips. One interesting seafood cooking tip involves indoor grilling. Here is what Red Lobster (an obvious expert in seafood preparation) has to say about indoor grilling:

Preheat your grill. This will prevent your seafood from sticking to it. You can test your grill by simply sprinkling a couple drops of water onto it. They should bounce around when your grill is ready to be used.

Even if your indoor grill has a nonstick coating, lightly spritz it with oil. Be sure to use nonstick utensils while cooking to save your nonstick finish. Covered indoor grills will cook faster than uncovered grills. 2-3 minutes of cooking time for each one-half inch thickness, is the recommendation.. So, for a fish fillet that is one-half inch thick, cook it for only 2-3 minutes. If you plan on adding sauce to your fresh fish fillet, do it in the last minute or two of cooking. That will prevent it from burning.

Indoor grilling has gained in popularity recently and is an easy way for you to enjoy grilled food any time of the year.

Cooking fresh mussels

Fresh mussels can be cooked in a variety of ways including baking, steaming, grilled, pan-fried and deep-fried.

When cooking fresh mussels, only cook them for a few minutes. If overcooked, they will become tasteless and rubbery. To help you avoid overcooking them, add them at the last moment in recipes calling for them.

Here is one of the most popular and easy fresh mussel recipes around. It is known as Mussels in white wine, Sailor's Mussels, or as the French call it....Moules Marinieres. It is a classic French recipe. Depending on your choice, it can be either an appetizer or main meal.


Moules Marinieres (serves 2 people)  

2-1/4 pounds of fresh live mussels

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

5 fl oz dry white wine

2 oz (55 g) of butter

½ c fresh parsley, chopped

4 tbsp of cream

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Prepare mussels by rinsing in cold water thoroughly, debearding

Set aside in colander.

Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when you tap on them.

In large saucepan, melt butter.

Add chopped onion and garlic.

Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent.

Add white wine and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Add the mussels and cover with lid.

Cook over high heat for several minutes, gently shaking the bottom of the pan several times during cooking to redistribute the mussels.

If possible, remove the mussels one by one as they open, placing them in a colander with a bowl underneath to catch the juices and set to one side.

Discard any mussels that have remained tightly shut.

Boil the remaining liquid in the pan until it reduces to half

Stir in cream and parsley.

Taste the sauce, as it may be quite salty, or add any salt and pepper to your taste.

Transfer the mussels to a large bowl and pour the reduced liquid over the mussels and serve immediately.